Device for operating elevator-doors.



L. C. NORTON.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING ELEVATOR DOORS.v

APPLICATION FILED APR. I9, |912.

Patented Dec. 7, 191.5.

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nNiIn snare ra'innr yri LEWIS c. NORTON, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .LissIeNon `To vNonIoNfnoon CHECK. CoM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

DEVICE FOR OPERATINGELEVATOR-DOORS,

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To all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Lewis()` NORTON, a citizen of the Unitedy States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Bevices for Operating ElevatonDoors, of which the following' description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, isa specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts. e

This invention relates to devices for `operating elevator doors and particularly to devices of that class in which the door-controlling mechanism is in the nature of a toggle` lever,fone end of which is pivoted tor an abutment,an'd the other end of which is pivoted to the 'door so that when the door is Yclosed the toggle lever will be straightened, thereby locking the door closed.

rlhe object of my invention is to provide a novel controlling mechanism including a handle movably connected to the door and so constructedthat the initial movement of the handle relative to the door will unlock 0r break the toggle lever, and continued movement of the handle in the same direction will cooperate with thek doorl to open the latter. y

In order to give an understanding of my invention'I will describe first a selected embodiment thereof from which the principle will be readily understood and will then k point out the novel features in the appended claims.

The figure shows a section of an elevator well with an elevator door therefor having one 'embodiment of my invention applied thereto. l

l designates the wall of an elevator well which will be provided with the usual door opening leading thereto, and 3 is the door designed to close said opening, said door being herein illustrated as a sliding door.

The device for opening and closing the door comprises two members 5 and 6 which are pivotally connected together at 7, and one of which is pivoted to a fixed abutment which may conveniently be the wall of the elevator fwell, and the other of which is pivoted to the door 3. The link 5 is shown asV pivoted to a 'bracket 70v which is secured at some suitable point 4to the wall of the elevator well, and the; link 6 isv shown' as pivoted at 8 to the door. The members 5 and 6 form a toggle lever devicey which is con- Specifcation of Letters Patent. n

struct-ed so that it is straightened when the .floor is closed thereby locking the door. rIn order to open the door, itis necessary lirst tobreak the toggle lever 5, 6, after which 'the door may bemoved to the left Fig. 3

and opened. W hen the door is opened, the members 5 and 6 assume the position shown 1n ydotted lines Fig. 3.

, As herein shown, the inner end kot the link i 6 projects beyond the pivotal point 7 where the links are connectedtogether and oven' laps the link 5, said projecting end 14, being providedwith "a stop linger l'which `engages a notch 160 formed in the link5, there-` by to limit the movement ofthe members 5 and'6in one direction. The toggle lever device [5, 6 1s acted upon-by a door-closing kmeans. which acts through `the toggle lever to close the door. This door-closing `mea-ns may be of any suitable construction. It is herein shown as a combined check anddoorclosing device comprising a cylinder in which operates a spring-actuated piston, the piston rod 17 oit' which is connected to an arm 16 extending from the member 5.v The cylinder 20 is shown as pivotally connected to a bracket 71. When 'the door is opened, the piston rod is drawn outwardly and the spring placed under tension so that when ther door is released,` the spring. will act through the member 5 to close the door, said device also acting to check the closing movement as usual.

. The member 5 of the door-operating device is made oi less length than the member 6, the relative lengths of said members being such that when'the door is opened as shown in dotted lines, Fig. l, the link y5 will stand substantially vertically against the wall of the elevator well, 'while the link 6 will have a considerable inclination. When the member 5 is thus in vertical position, the arm 16 extends laterally therefrom, and the spring Q0 which is under tension pulls downwardly on the end of the arm 16 at one side of a vertical line through the pivot of said member 5, thereby tending to swing the upper end of the member 5 to2 the right. Since the member 6 is of greater length than the member 5, said member 6 has an inclined position and the tendency of themember 5 to swing to the right due to the action of the spring 20 will, through the member 6, tend to push the door. horizontally into its closed position.

My' invention comprehends. a handle mov- Patented Dec. 7 1915.

Application med Aprilia, 1912. semaine. 691,777. f

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. the further movement of the handle operating to open the door, as abovedescribed. While various constructions may `be provided operatingon this principle, I have herein shown for illustrative purposes a simple construction from which the principle of the invention is understood.

26 designates a handle which is mounted onthe doorfor movement relative thereto, thishandle being herein shown as pivot'ed to vthe doori The movement of the handle rela'- tive to the door is limited by a keeper 28.V This handle 26 is operatively connected to f the toggle lever device 5, 6 by a link 100 which is pivoted at one end vto an offset arm 9 extending from the member 6 and at its other endy hasa loose or lost-motion connection with the lever 6. This lost-motion connection is shown as a pin-and-slot connection., the pin being carried by the lever 26 and operating in a slot 25 ormed'inthe link 100. 'Ihe handle26 thus hasr a limitedy swinging movement relative to the door. llVhen the door is locked and the toggle-lever device 5, 6 is straightened, the operating handle 26 is in the position shown in full lines in the drawing resting against the right-hand end of the opening in the keeper,l

and the projection on the lever rests'against the left-hand end of the slot 25. The iirst movement of said lever tothe left 'will'brea'k the'toggle lever device 5, 6, as willr be obvious, and when the lever 26 brings up against the left-hand end of the opening, Qthen further movement of said lever relativeto the door ceases and pressure on the lever to- `ward the left has the same eiiect as pushing directly against the door.V As the door opens under such pressure the links 5 and 6 will fold, and the link 100 will move relative to the lever, the slot 25 permitting such movement. i f

While I have illustrated herein a selected embodiment of my invention, I do not lwish to be 'limited tothe constructional features shown. l

Having fully described' my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is I 1. In a device of the character described, theV combination of a sliding door, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the dooi` is closed to thereby lock the door against opening move- In the illustratedv embodiment ofv ment, closing mechanism :tor said door op.

eratively connected with said toggle lever door and having a limited free movement relative thereto, and means whereby a continnous movement of said handle in the same direction operates to break said toggle lock and to open said door against the force of said closing means. 1

2. In a device of the character described, the combination oit' a sliding door, a stationary abutment, va toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the doorV is closed to thereby lock theY door against opening movement, closing mechanism for said door operatively connected with said toggle lever and normally tending to move the latter in a direction'to move the door into closed position, toggle unlocking means carried by said door, an operating handle carried by'said door independently of said unlocking meansand in operativeV relation thereto, and having a limited independent movement relative to said door, and means whereby said limited movement of said handle actuates said unlocking means to break said toggle lock preparatory to opening the door, and whereby av further and continued movement of said 'handle in the same direction operates to'move said door to open position against the force of said closing mechanism.

3. In a' device of the'character described, the combination oi a sliding door, a stationarygabutment, aV toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted vto be straightened when the door is closed to thereby lock the door against opening movement, closing mechanism for said-door operatively connected with said toggle lever and normally tending to move the latter in a direction to move said door into closed position, toggle unlocking means carried by said door, an operating handle carried by said Vdoor in operative relation with said unlock- 4i. In a device of the character described, the 'e combination with a sliding door, of a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the door is closed thereby' l0 handle during continued movement thereof to lock the door against opening movement, in the saine direction ooperating with the an operating handle carried by the door and stop means to move the door to open posimovable relative thereto, stop means on the f tion. door to limit such relative movement of the In testimony whereof, I have signed my handle, means capable of movement indename to this speciicaton, in the presence of 1 5 pendent of the handle and operated by such two subscribing Witnesses.

limited movement of said handle relative to LEWIS C. NORTON.

the door in tlie'door-opening direction to unlock said toggle lever connection, said Witnesses: n

LOUIS C. SMITH, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

